OKLAHOMA CITY – NBA commissioner David Stern walked down a hallway Thursday night at the Ford Center and crossed paths with Lakers coach Phil Jackson. As Stern told the story later, Jackson said, “I don’t like you today.”

Stern replied, “Well, I like you.”

Jackson received two $35,000 fines within a two-week span earlier this month for criticizing NBA officials.

He got dinged most recently for saying Kevin Durant of the Oklahoma City Thunder received superstar treatment from referees.

Stern, when asked about Jackson’s rather tepid comments, issued a strong response.

“I wish I had it to do all over again, and starting 20 years ago I would be suspending Phil and Pat Riley (then coach of the New York Knicks) for all the games they play in the media, because you guys know our referees go out there and knock themselves out doing the best job they can,” Stern said. “But we have coaches who try to work them publicly, and what that does is erode fan confidence and you get some of the situations we’ve had. So our coaches should be quiet because this is a good business that makes them good livings and supports a lot of families.

“If they don’t like it, they should go get a job someplace else.”

Stern then called Jackson “a great coach” and “a friend of many years.” He went on to say the public criticism of the league’s referees by coaches and players was “corrosive.” He also blamed himself for letting it reach the point it’s reached.

“Because of the pressure cooker that is the NBA playoffs, over the years I’ve let it go,” Stern said. “It sounds like fun. We know inside the community what it’s meant to do. It’s playoff time. Everybody’s crazy, so back off. If I had to do it again, I wouldn’t.

“I would stop it and the price wouldn’t be a modest $35,000 fine. It would be whatever a day’s pay is, then two day’s pay, then a week’s pay and if somebody wants to try me in the rest of this playoffs make my day. The game is too important.

“I don’t think people who trash it are respecting it. They give the impression to our fans that somehow the referees have an agenda. Yeah, they have an agenda. It’s to knock themselves out to give the best call they can give and then send their checks home to their mothers and give the rest to charity.”

Igniting a fire

During the Lakers’ victories in games one and two, sixth man Lamar Odom scored seven points and grabbed six rebounds Sunday and then had four points and eight rebounds Tuesday. Odom shot only 4 for 13 (30.8 percent).

So, it wasn’t a surprise when Jackson called out Odom going into Thursday’s Game 3. Jackson asked Odom to “give us an imprint in the ballgame.” Odom shrugged when reporters relayed Jackson’s comments to him.

“I just want to get myself going, find my shot, play in my rhythm, stay in my comfort zone,” he said. “It’s two games. You play 82 games during the season.

Elliott Teaford covers the Clippers and the NBA for the Southern California News Group. He has written about hockey for the past five years and is looking forward to thawing out after so many days and nights sitting in frozen rinks. He also covered the Lakers for five seasons, including their back-to-back NBA championships in 2009 and '10. He once made a jump shot over future Utah Jazz center Mark Eaton during a pickup game in 1980 at Cypress College.

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